Students and faculty have mixed feelings about the $200 tuition increase proposed for next semester – ranging from satisfaction over renovations and new faculty to disappointment over a mid-school year tuition hike.

Students like Bowling Green freshman Mark Yurchisin do not have a problem with the increase.

“I don’t think it’s too much of a big deal,” he said. “It’s not a drastic increase.”

Tawanda Chitapa, a graduate student from Zimbabwe, said he likes that the plan would bring about smaller class sizes.

“I think the benefits outweigh the cost,” he said. “What’s $200 if you’re going to get a better environment?”

Not everyone is for the proposed increase. Monticello freshman Casey Rector said he thinks it isn’t right for the university to have a mid-year increase.

“If they’re going to change the tuition, they should wait until next year if they’re going to increase it at all,” he said. “Some people may not have the money.”

Retired history professor Lowell Harrison said he doesn’t like students having to pay more tuition, but he thinks the university had to make such a plan under these financial struggles.

He said the increase would help keep class sizes smaller.

Western’s current student to teacher ratio is 19 to 1, which is an increase from 16.5 to 1 in 1998.

University Senate Chair Doug Smith said he is for the proposed increase because it will provide items that will benefit both faculty and students.

“It will bring people with new ideas; that’s always intellectually stimulating for both students and faculty no matter what department they’re in,” he said.

President Gary Ransdell has scheduled meetings with the Student Government Association, University Senate and other groups to provide information and seek feedback about the proposal.

Reach Mai Hoang at [email protected].